ICSA qualifying programme - Law / Finance Professional route

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Summary

There are many cross-overs between the expertise that lawyers and accountants have and the work that they do and that of company secretaries. If you've worked in law or finance and you are looking for a new challenge then becoming a company secretary could be a natural step. You can find out more about being a company secretary here.

If you've got a legal or finance background and have decided that becoming a company secretary is for you, then you might be eligible to take one of our two exemption routes through the ICSA qualifying programme.

If you are a qualified lawyer who's a member of the Bar or Law Society for your jurisdiction, or an accountant who’s a member of one of the major accountancy bodies and have less than five years' appropriate post-qualifying experience, then you'll qualify to take this route, which entitles you to exemptions for up to four modules (dependent on your qualifications.)

Entry

To apply for the law or finance professional route, you must be a qualified lawyer or accountant with up to 5 years' related experience.

Qualified accountants must be a current member of one of the following major accountancy bodies:

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)

Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI)

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

Qualified lawyers must be a current member of the Bar or Law Society for your jurisdiction or compliant with the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Regulations.

Content

Qualified lawyers can apply for exemptions in four of the eight modules of the ICSA qualifying programme: three at Stage One and one at Stage Two:

Exemptions available

Remaining modules

Financial Reporting and Analysis

Corporate Governance

Applied Business Law

Financial Decision Making

Corporate Law

Corporate Secretarial Practice

Strategy in Practice

Chartered Secretaries Case Study

Qualified accountants can apply for exemptions in four of the eight modules: two at Stage One and two at Stage Two.

Exemptions available

Remaining modules

Financial Reporting and Analysis

Corporate Governance

Applied Business Law

Corporate Law

Financial Decision Making

Corporate Secretarial Practice

Strategy in Practice

Chartered Secretaries Case Study

Study

The following study options are available to all ICSA qualifying programme students, regardless of the route they take.

Paper Application

If you would prefer to send your application by post, please download, print and complete the following application forms. Submissions must include certified copies of academic or professional qualifications and transcripts or evidence of membership to relevant professional bodies.

As you are applying for exemptions, please submit certified copies of your academic/professional qualification and a transcript. These must be in English. If they weren't issued in English they should be:

translated by someone fluent in both languages, who is not related to you

certified as an accurate translation of the original by the translator.

Certified copies of the original document and translated document should be submitted.

You will also need to submit evidence of membership of a professional body.

Please note: exemptions are offered and confirmed only once your previous qualifications and experience have been assessed. You will be awarded the exemptions available to you on the date of registration as a student. An exemption fee is applicable for each module you are exempted from.

Payment

Registration includes a payment of the initial registration fee and the annual subscription fee.